LONDON (Reuters) - British American Tobacco reported higher full-year sales and profits on Thursday, helped by the acquisition of Reynolds American and market share gains. The maker of Dunhill and Lucky ...

Four tobacco companies operating in France manipulated tests to conceal the real level of nicotine and tar contained in cigarettes, endangering the lives of smokers, a French anti-smoking organisation alleged in a legal complaint. The allegations by the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT) target the French branches of Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco and Imperial Brands Plc.

The size of British American Tobacco plc (LSE:BATS), a £108.88B large-cap, often attracts investors seeking a reliable investment in the stock market. One reason being its ‘too big to fail’Read More...

Altria Group Inc (NYSE:MO) could have had a better quarter, but they also could have had a worse The cigarette maker is successfully “doing more with less,” between the smoking-cessation headwind and impending exit of CEO Marty Barrington. Altria remains a leader in its respective market, but it’s a market with a dim future. For the quarter ending in December, Altria Group turned $6.1 billion worth of revenue and net-revenues (net of excise taxes) of $4.7 billion into an operating profit of 91 cents per share.

As of January 30, Philip Morris International (PM) was trading at $107.94. Analysts were expecting the company’s stock price to reach $122.73 in the next 12 months, which represents a return potential of 13.7%. Before the announcement of the company’s 3Q17 earnings, analysts had forecasted a 12-month target price of $122.41.

An advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently voted to reject a claim from a company that its tobacco-heating product be marketed as "reduced risk" during a review process Reynolds American Inc. also started in December 2017, but no applications for the marketing of "reduced risk" products have yet to be accepted in the U.S. The Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee voted 5-4 to reject a claim by Phillip Morris that “switching completely to IQOS presents less risk of harm than continuing to smoke cigarettes,” thus recommending to the FDA that it issue the same ruling.

On January 25, 2018, the stock prices of Altria Group (MO) and Philip Morris (PM) fell 2.3% and 2.8%, respectively. On January 25, the FDA’s advisory panel rejected two of Philip Morris’s claims while approving one claim.

On January 19, 2018, Jefferies upgraded Philip Morris International (PM) from “hold” to “buy” and raised its 12-month target price to $124. The new target price represents a return potential of 13.8% from its current stock price of $108.92. Owen Bennett of Jeffries expects the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee’s review of Philip Morris’s iQOS system, which is expected to be announced this week, to drive Philip Morris’s stock price.

On January 19, 2018, Jefferies upgraded Altria Group (MO) from “hold” to “buy,” and raised its target price from $72 to $81. The new price target represents a return potential of 13.9% based on its current stock price of $71.12. Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett is optimistic on tobacco companies, based on them having a lower valuation than other staples.

Each day, Benzinga takes a look back at a notable market-related moment that happened on this date. What Happened On this day in 1964, the U.S. government issued its first health warning against cigarettes. ...

British American Tobacco (BATS.L) said new U.S tax rules would boost its earnings per share by 6 percent in 2018, supporting its commitment to high-single-digit earnings growth and greater investment in vaping devices. Jefferies analysts estimated the 6 percent benefit equates to around 400 million pounds ($541 million), or about 2 percent of sales, and suggested the investment could help BAT compete against Philip Morris International (PM.N) in the growing market for cigarette alternatives seen as less dangerous than smoking. "A key factor weighing on the multiple relative to Philip Morris has been a feeling that they are trailing in reduced risk," the analysts said, noting that 2018 will be a "huge year" in shaping the competitive environment for so-called reduced risk products.